Regenerative rotary repeater



1927 1,626 534 A. H. HOWARD I REGENERATIVE ROTARY REPEATER I Filed Aug- 14. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 gwuemtoz Albgzjj Howard Patented Apr. 26, 1927. v i

v cams stares rare-er e ect:

ALBERT H. HOWARD, BAY ROBERTS, NEWFOUNDLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE WEST- ERN UNION TELEGRAPH COMPANY, F NEW YORK; N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

REGENERATIVE ROTARY REPEATER.

Application filed August 14, 1925, Serial No. 56,206, and in Canada August 1925.

This invention relates to telegraph systems In the following detailed description I 6 employing synchronized transmitters and reshall. refer to the accompanying drawings in ceivers and particularly to regenerating which Figures 1 and 2 are diagrams of cirineans for receiving or retransmitting telecuit arrangements embodying my invention;

5 graph signals. A Figure 1 represents one organization of Theprincipal object of my invention is to circuits which may be used at anrepeater ensure the retransmission of all signal imstation. The signals transmitted over a ca-- pulses received, especially when the incoming ble or line section are received as usual by' a signals-are weak or of short duration and to drum relay 1 having the conducting. cylin- 10 this end I provide means for actuating a reclers 2 and 3, separatedvby an insulating-sec= lay the instant the incoming signal impulse tion 4, upon which the needle or tongue- 5 is received and for locking or maintaining. rests when no impulses are. being received; said relay energized until the signal'has been When the needle 5 swings to the left a circuit retransmitted to the next line section or to a is closed from the local battery to energize- 1 recorder. thelocal dot relay T, and likewise when the My invention relates to synchronous teleneedle swings to the right the local dash regraph repeating systems iii-which the relay 8 is actuated; transmitted signalsjarereformed and regen- For the purpose ofcarryingout my imerated and have a predeterminedduration provement' I provide the rotary distributer 20 independent ofthelength of the incoming RD with an auxiliary locking ring-L in signals. In such systems as heretofore deaddition to the receiving-andilocking'ringL vised, the rotary distributer of the repeater heretofore employed in regenerative repea-tis so synchronized \vitlrthe distributer at ing apparatus such as disclosed'in U. S. ap

. the distant sending station that the brush plication of Peterma n-,,Seria l' No. 557,048,

25 of, the receiving rin of the repeating disfiled April 28, 1922. The locking'relays'LR tributer normally passes over the pick-up and LR are provided with energizing coilssegments at the instant the incoming signals 10 connected with the ring'L throughring' v have reached their mid-point. As is well S and brush B and with other coils 12'con-' known this is done to ensure the reception nected to ring L 7 so at the most stable part of the current im- The operation ot'the apparatus above'de- Pulse. In said prior systems the relays of scribed is asfo]lows:

the repeater are notconnected to the locking Assume that a signal impulse transmitted or holding circuits until the brushes have from the distant station is received at the moved from the pick-up segments onto the repeating'station and causes the needle 5'of looking or holding segments. If for any reathe drum: relay to swing over to thecylinder son, due to some electrical disturbance, the re- '2 thereby causing the tongue of the dot relay ceived: signal is weak or is out of proper 7 to move over against itsmarking' contact,

phase and ceases beforethe brush has passed as indicated in dotted lines: A circuit is ofl? of the pick-up segment onto the holding thereby closed from the plus pole of bat- 40 or lockingv segments, the impulse would be tery' 15', through the tongue of dot relay lost because the locking relay tongue or ar- 7, conductor 16, pick-up segments 19, of remature would have moved away from itsceivingand locking the ring L brush '13,, marking contact before the brush reached solid ring S conductor 17. coils 10 of'both' the first locking segment; locking relays LR; and LE conductor '18,

4 Itis to overcome this defect in prior systo the split or neutral point 0 of the battery.

tems that I have devised the organization The tongue of locking relayLR moves over disclosed herein. The method involved in against its right hand contact, as indicated my present invention provides an additional in dotted lines. looking orholding circuitwhich comes into If'the incoming signal impulse holds the to operation in advance of the usual locking tongue of the dot relay? against its-marking circuit and hence bridges over the interval in contact until the brush B, moves from the 10 which the previous failures have occurred pick-up segments 10 onto the adjacent set'of and thus eliminatesthe danger of'losing an locking segments Z, of ring L the tongueout-of-phase or weak signal. of locking-relay LR, will'be 'heldagainstits nected together.

. SR conductor 23, locking segments Z or segmented ring L brush B solid ring S conductor 17, coils 10 ot relays LR and L11 and conductor 18 to the split of the battery.-

The coils 10 of locking relays LR and LE Will thus be maintained in energized condition and simultaneously the tongue of sending-on relay SR, Wll be moved against its right-hand or markingcontact, thus connecting the plus pole of battery 25 With the cable C This positive impulse will be transmitted to cable C, while the brush. 1%, is passing over the segments Z Which are con- The method just described for repeating a signal. impulse received from a distant station upon the drum relay, reforming itto predetermined length, regenerating'it through the cable battery 25 and transmitting it to the next line section or cable C is disclosed in said Peter-man application.

As previously pointed out, in the repeating arrangement devised by Peterman, if the incoming signal should cease heliore the brush l3 passes from the pick-up segments 1 onto the holding or locking segments Z there Will he no current available to hold the tongue of relay LE against its right hand contact and hence there Will be no cirsuit through the sending-on relays SR and.

SR Consequently no corresponding s1gnal impulse Will be sent into cable C It is to provide against this contingency that I devised the new organization disclosed herein. To this end, I provide an auxiliary pair of rings L S on the rotary distributer Which are arranged to energize the locking i'elays LR, and LE through coils 12 While the brush B, is still on the pickup segments 7),, so that the tongue of either the dot locking relay LR, or the dash locking relay LR, will be locked or held over against its righthand or marking contact before the brush B passes-onto the locking segment Z Assuming as before, that an incoming signal impulse causes the needle 5 oi": the cable drum relay to swing over on thecylinder part 2 thereby energizing the local dot relay 7 and moving its tongue into marking position indicated in dotted lines. When the brushes B, pass over any of the pick-up segments of thereceiving and locking ring L,-, a circuit is closed from battery 15 through the coils 10 of locking relays LR and LE over the circuit previously traced. For the purpose of holding the tongue of relay LR against its marking contact, I provide the auxiliary relay coils 12 and the auxiliary rings L S and brush B As soon asthetongue of relay LR, touches its right hand or marking contact, an auxillary holding or locking circuit is closed from the plus pole ol battery 15, through conductor 20, tongue of relay l ilt conductor 22, on ls 12 of relays LR and LE conductor 26, pairs of segments of the auxiliary segmental ring L brush B solid ring S and conductor 27 to the split 0 of battery 15. The brush B is so positioned that it moves onto segments Z before brush B, has passedofii' ot the pickup segments 1 of ring L. A sul'iicient num ber of segments Z, of ring L are connected together and connected to conductor 26 toensure a circuit through coils 12 until after the brush B, has passed onto the locking segments Z, of ring i which establishes a locking circuit through the coils 10, thus providing an overlap between the two holding or locking): circuits for the relays LB, and LE It is evident, therefore, that even though the current should cease througl'i the pick-up segments 72, before the brush passed therefrom, the relays LE and LR,

would remain energized through the auxil iary circuit including the auxiliary rings L 55,, brush B and coils 12, thus elimi nating the previous danger of losing a signal impulse.

It Will be observed that if the brush B should pass onto the segments Z before the brush B has moved off of a group of looking segments Z Z Z or Z for a previous signal, a circuit would be closed through brush B and coils 12 Which Would again lock up said previous signal so that it Would not cease When the brush B passed off of the last segment of a group of locking segments. To avoid such an occurrence, the brush B is staggered behind the brush B to ensure the breaking of the circuit of the preceding signal before the brush B receives the succeeding signal impulse in passing onto the next pick-up segments. In other Words, the brush B does not pass onto a segn'ient Z, of

ring L until just after the brush B has ioved onto a receiving or a pickup segment of ring L Although the coils 10 and 12 of the looking relays LE and L11 are energized and the tongue of one or the other relay is moved against its marking contact, depending upon Whether the signal impulse isot positive or of negative polarity, yet a circuit is not closed through the coils of the sending-on relays SR, and SR until the brush 13, passes off of the pick-up segments and onto the first of one of the connected groups of locking segments, Z Z Z or Z and the circuit through'the sendingon relays is broken as the brush B passes off of the last segment of said group. Thus, the signal impulse repeated into the succeeding line or cable section G has a definite length or period depending upon the number of segments joined or connected. together in the a'roups of the ring L and hence as previously stated, the

duration of the repeated signal is absolutely independent of the duration of the incoming "the signal is not transmitted by the sendingon relays until the brush B has moved upon the first segment of one of the connected groups of the locking segment-s. It sometimes desirable that the repeated signals should extend over the full unit period and for this purpose I have devised the arrangement shown, in Figure 2. 1

Referring to Figure 2, the various elements which are; identical with the corresponding elements in Figure 1 are desig: nated by the same reference characters. As previously pointed out, While thelocking relays. LR ;ancl LE in the arrangement of Figure 1 are energized as soon as the brush B moves onto a pick-up segment 39,, p 79 or 7),, yet no circuit is completetlthrough the sending-on relays SR, and SR until the brush B moves onto a lockingsegment 1 ,1 Z or Z,,. On the other hand, in the arrangement of Fig. '2, the sending-on relays SR,

and SR are; energized as soon as the brush B moves onto one of the pick-up segments and consequently the signal impulses are re-. peated into the cable C While an impulse I repeated-into cable G maybe initiated at,

any instant during the time the brush B is passingover the pick-up segments, so that the beginning-of the signal impulse is more or less indeterminate, its termination isfixed by the passing of the brush B ofi of the last of a group of locking segments.

The operation of the arrangement shown in Figure'Q Will be evident from the previous description of Figure 1. Thus if a positive signal impulse isreceived onthe' cable drum relay 1, causing the local dot relay 7 to connect the pick-up segments 77, with the plus terminal of battery 15, while the brush B is passing over said pick-up segments, a circuit will be closed from the plus terminal of battery 15, through-the tongue of-dot relay 7 conductor 16, pick-up segments 19, of segmented ring L5 brush B solid ring S conductor 17 coils 10 of looking relays LR, and LE conductor 23 coils of sending-on relays SR and SR, and conductor 18 to the neutral point 0 of battery 15. The sendingon relays SR, and SR are therefore energized simultaneously with the locking relays LR and LE and at the instant the impulse is'reoeived upon the pickup segments of the ring L Hence the impulse, regenerated by the battery 25, is repeated into the cable 0,, the instant the incoming signal is received on the pick-up segments p 29 17 or 72 Before the brush B leaves the pick-up segments, the brush B passes onto the locking segments Z of the, auxihary locking ring L and thereby closes a circuit from the plus terminal of battery 15, through conductor 20', tongueof relay LE conductor '22, coils 120i relays LR,- and LE conductor 26, locking segments Z,

of auxiliary locking ring L5, brush. B solid ring S conductor 27 to the neutral point of the battery. The relays are thus maintained in energized condition by the coilslQ: until the brush B passes over a predetermined number of the connected locking seg-v ments l of segmented ring-L the brush B passes over the connected seg conductor 17, coils lO'ot' locking relaysLR and LE conductor 23, coils of sending-on relays SR, and SR and conductor '18, to

the neutral point 0- of the. battery. The impulse repeated into cable C, will cease as the brush B moves oif of thelast segment of the group of] connected segments Z Since the "full unit period allotted ,toa signal impulse is the time required for the brush B to move over one setof pick-up segments and the succeeding connected group of locking segments, it is evid'entthat if a signal impulse is receiveld'just as the brush B moves onto: the first pick-up segment, the impulse repeated into cable C will have a duration equal to the full unit period allotted to a signal.

I claim 1. In a synchronous telegraph system,

means for receiving or retransmitting the signals, comprising. a rotary distributer op-" erating synchronously with the, received Sig nal impulses, and three pairs .otnormallyf biased oppositely-poled polar relays oper-f atively associated therewith, the first pair the signal impulses, said distributor operating to cause the impulses to be stored dur.-.

.ingthe recept on of the impulses and to be retransmitted tor a period ending at a predetermined time, the stor ng relay being 'maintained in energized condition throughof 'saidrelays acting to receiveanother pan, to store and :the third pair to 'IGlZI'HDSlIllh set forth in claim 1, said. distributor haviiig= means .for causingthe impulses stored dur. mg the receptionof the impulses to beretransmitted subsequently for a predetermined period. c. 3. In a synchronous telegraph system,

signals, comprising a rotary distributer' 0p- 1 means for receiving or retransmitting the crating synchronously withv the received sig nal impulses, and three pairs of'normally biased oppositely-poledpolar plurality of relays operatively associated therewith, the first pair of said relays acting to receive another pair, to store and the third pair to retransmit the signal impulses, said distributer operating to causethe impulses to be stored during the receptionozt the impulses and tobe retransmitted for a perlod endlng at a-predetermined time, said distributor be- 7 ing provided with means for causing a stormg relayto store the impulse simultaneously with its 'operatiom'to' be held in actuated condition independently of the receiving relay-and to actuate a retransmitting relay while maintaining said storing relay in said condition during the retransmission period.

4. In a. synchronous telegraph systen'i, means for receiving orretransmitting the signals, comprising a rotary distributer' operating synchronouslywith the received signal impulses, and three pairs of normallybiased oppositely-poled polar relays operat-ively associated therewith, the first pair of said relays acting to receive another pair,

to store and thethird pair to retransmit the si nal im ulses said distributor 0 eratim b 7 r b to cause the impulses to be stored during the reception of the impulses and to be subsequently retransmitted for a predetermined period, said distributer being provided with means for causing a storing relay to store the impulse simultaneously with 1ts operation, to be held in actuated condition independently of the receiving relay and thereafter to actuate a retransmitting relay while relays being connected to a plurality oi.

picleup segments spaced at equal intervals in said pick-up and locking ring, said storing relays having coils arranged to be connected to said current source through said iclr-u) se ments and other coils arran ed to be'connected to a plurality of segments spaced at equal intervals in said overlap ring, said retransmittmg 0IS611CllI1g-Ol1 relays havmg the1r coils operatively connected to said locking segments through thetongues of said storing relays when m marking position. 6. In a synchronous telegraph system, the

combination with a plurality of line sections, 7

of a relaying equipment comprising a source of current, a rotary distributer having a plurality of segmented rings including av plclr-up and locking ring, and an overlap ring, three pairs of normally biased oppositely poled relays, the first pair operating" to receive tli-e signals, the Second pair to store them and the third pair to retransmit or SGDQvOil the signals, said receiving relays being connected to a pluralitylof pick-up segments spaced at equal intervals in said piclr-up and locking ring, said storing relays having coils arranged to be connected to said current source through said pick-up segments, and other coils arranged to be" connectedto groups of connected segments in said overlap rmg', said retransmitting or sending-on relays having their coils operatively connected to said locking segments through the tongues of said storing relays when in'marlring position. 7

7. In a synchronous telegraph system, the

combination with a plurality of line or cable sections, of a relaying equipment comprising a source of current, a rotary distributor I having a plurality of segmented rings 111- eluding a-pick-up and locking ring, and an overlap ring, three pairs of normally biased oppositelypoled polar relays, the first pair operating to receive the signals, the second pair to store tl em and the third pair to retransmit or send-on the signals, said receiving relays be ng connected to a. plurality of pick-up segments spaced at, equal intervals on saidfpiclrup and locking ring, said SlZQIlIlgI'ElELYS having COIlS arranged to be connected'to said current source alternatel through said pick-up segments and through groups of connected locking segments in" said pick-up and locking ring, and other coils connected to segments insaid overlap ring, said last named segments overlapping said pick-up segments and part of said lockmg segments in said pick-up and locking ring, said retransmitting or sending-0n relays having coils operatively connected to the said locking segments through the tongues of saidstormg relays when in marking position.

In testimony whereol' I affix'my signature.

ALBERT H. HOWARD. 

